1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to absorbing shock due to impact, and particularly to using a crushable member to absorb the shock.
2. Description of Background
It is common to mount elastomeric bumpers on the edges and corners of devices, such as electronic devices and shipping packages, for example, to absorb the shock of impacts that may occur while they are handled. The resilient nature of elastomeric bumpers, however, tends to redirect the energy instead of absorbing the energy of an impact. In some instances the device being protected would benefit from a more energy absorptive arrangement as opposed to merely energy redirection. One example of an arrangement that absorbs energy is the crumple zone. These have been developed primarily with respect to automobiles; however, they are effective at absorbing the energy of an impact regardless of the application. The effectiveness of a crumple zone is due, in part, to the absorption of energy during the crumpling, or deformation, of the material from which the crumple zone is constructed. Larger crumple zones, that is crumple zones with more length between a point of impact and the portion of the device that is to be protected from the impact, are more effective than smaller crumple zones, all things being equal.
This relationship of crumple zone size to effectiveness makes it difficult to mount an effective crumple zone on a laptop computer, for example, without adding significant size to the laptop computer for the crumple zone components themselves. An effective crumple zone with minimal size would, therefore, be desirable in the art.